Create the Ultimate Interactive Training Experience with 3D PACT
Few developments have had such a profound influence on the general public as online gaming. From the early days of the rather simplistic on-screen entities, we knew as space invaders to the elaborate virtual environments and life-like characters featured in games like “Call of Duty” and “Mortal Kombat”, the genre has continued to captivate successive generations. That similar scenarios, created with specialised software such as 3D PACT, are now proving invaluable to those tasked with providing education and those who receive it, is another example of the power and versatility of computerised simulations.
The above-named award-winning software suite provides end-users with a convenient means to create high-quality and feature-rich simulated training environments suitable for a growing range of work-related activities. These realistic simulations offer trainees the freedom to practice any or all of those routine and specialised tasks considered by the developer as relevant to their particular role and industry.
Simulations created using SimGenics 3D PACT suite offer trainees an interactive training experience that is unique in its ability to grab their attention and continue to keep them engaged. Not surprisingly, the result of such total engagement is that participants demonstrate much higher retention rates than they could expect to achieve in a conventional classroom environment.
In practice, learning is a holistic activity and therefore, it can only be optimally effective when the auditory, visual and tactile senses are all engaged by the teaching process. The ability of the 3D PACT suite to combine the necessary holistic learning environment with a convincing impression of real-world operability has served to position this product as an acknowledged leader and award winner in the field of simulated training.
When armed with laser scans or appropriate 3D models, there is virtually no limit to the simulated training scenarios that a user can create with this versatile teaching tool. Any activity that an operator may need to perform in the real world can be faithfully reproduced in a simulated environment that is almost indistinguishable from reality.
3D PACT simulations have proved to be invaluable in numerous applications throughout the industrial world. One sector in which the product has achieved widespread success is the power generation industry. It is a sector that, in recent years, has been under constant pressure to increase its production as the demand for electricity continues to grow.
At the same time, concerns about the contribution of fossils fuels to the increasingly evident signs of global warming are a clear indication that change is equally vital. To cope with each of these demands, many power plants choose 3D PACT simulations as the most effective means to train urgently needed new personnel and prepare their existing operatives to handle upcoming, necessary operational changes.
The South African power generation industry needs new plants and upgrades to overcome production shortfalls and so will need to hire new staff. The number of qualified personnel has been dwindling, making it necessary to train replacements from scratch. However, while conventional classroom training may be perfectly adequate to teach power generation theory, commissioning a new plant requires practical knowledge and skill that comes only from hands-on experience. Thanks to the power of 3D PACT simulations, new employees can have the opportunity to step through each stage in the commissioning process and repeat them as many times as necessary until their actions become instinctive.
While providing trainers with a highly effective means to familiarise new operatives with standard operational procedures, simulator training is the only safe way for a trainee to learn how to handle emergencies. When a genuine emergency arises, there will no time to instruct recruits. The best he or she can hope for is to remain unobtrusive, observe the experienced operator in action, and listen to the explanations later.
Duplicating such emergency scenarios with 3D PACT simulations allows anyone to practice the tasks necessary to cope with them while eliminating the dangers associated with failure. Given that emergencies should be a rare event in a well-run plant, these simulations offer both a means to train new staff to handle them and an opportunity for experienced employees to refresh and reinforce the relevant skills.
As well as playing a significant role in the training of power plant operators and engineers, the SimGenics 3D PACT software is suitable for training personnel in other fields. These include mining, offshore oil drilling, desalination, maritime navigation and wherever the operation of complex machinery is involved.
